SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTHProfile America — Sunday, September 15th. Today marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month — a time to recognize the contributions and cultures of the nation's fastest-growing population group. The idea started as a special week in 1968 and was expanded to a full month 20 years later. There are 53 million Hispanics in the U.S., 17 percent of the total population, forming the nation's largest ethnic or racial minority. Over half of that population resides in California, Texas or Florida, and nearly two-thirds are of Mexican background. Twenty-two-and-a-half percent of all elementary and high school students in the U.S. are Hispanic, indicative of a growing population that is expected to reach nearly 129 million by 2060. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB13-FF.19

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